Free Resources
The Values Card Sort can be a great tool to explore what truly matters most in your life. By identifying your values you can then explore how your current behaviors do or do not align with what living a meaningful life might entail, giving you a road map for behavioral change.
Introductory ACT Exercise:
After reviewing your values, think of a list of value driven committed actions you’d like to start doing more of. Asking yourself ‘What would the best, most confident version of myself want to be doing?’
Then utilize my SMART Committed Action Planning form to start planning out the execution of each action.
Psycho-educational Videos
I have compiled below a list of educational videos around Acceptance & Commitment Therapy (ACT) and Exposure Response Prevention (ERP) that can help you give you an introduction and basic understanding of these modalities. I utilize these very concepts in my approach when treating my clients.
If the ideas presented below interest you and you believe learning these or other ACT skills could help you overcome anxiety or OCD, or if you feel they could enhance your general quality of life, reach out to schedule a free consultation to ask me questions and see if working together could help you get your life back on track.
*DISCLAIMER* These videos provide general educational information about mental health and are not a substitute for psychotherapy nor intended to replace individual work with a licensed mental healthcare professional. If you are in need of help, seek out professional services from a licensed mental healthcare professional who can help you with your specific concerns.
Utilize a tracking app such as Habitshare or Way of Life. Alternatively a monthly paper copy of a Habit Tracker can be a nice offline tool.
Track your engagement in your committed actions, journaling about your progress and what unexpected obstacles get in your way as you go.
What is Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)?
Learn about how ACT revolves around changing behaviors rather than feelings. By understanding what our most important values are, we can proactively move towards what matters rather than reactively moving away from difficult thoughts or feelings.
Understanding Psychological Flexibility in ACT
What can we do to prosper when facing pain and suffering in our lives? More than a thousand studies suggest that a major part of the answer is learning psychological flexibility.
Practical ACT Skills Application Around Negative Thoughts
How can we best deal with difficult or negative thoughts? Dr. Steven Hayes discusses language, cognition, and the science behind putting on the mental brakes.
Understanding Exposure Therapy
Ignoring the clickbait title, Dr. Nader gives a great explanation of the nature and function of ERP (Exposure Response Prevention). Rather than promising to completely stop anxiety, ERP does have the potential to reduce it, make it more manageable, and help us learn that we are more able to live with it & operate through it than we previously thought.
Tips for Using Exposure Therapy
Here are eight guidelines for how to get the most out of exposure practices. Having a solid understanding of how to get the most out each exposure is the foundation for having effective self-exposures.
Learn to Structure Your Exposures
I follow these steps and utilize Jon Abramowitz’s Exposure Practice handout with all of my clients to create structure in exposures. Exposures are about more than just getting anxious for the sake of it, they are meant to test out predictions and learning from new experiences.
Psychological Suffering in the Evolution of the Human Mind
Did you know the human mind has evolved in such a way that it naturally creates psychological suffering? Anxiety and worrying were critical in keeping our ancient ancestors alive, however they continue to function similarly in modern times despite regularly having general physical safety.
The Struggle Switch Metaphor: Start Accepting & Stop Struggling
Through the metaphor of ‘The Struggle Switch’, learn how fighting against our experiences only amplifies our suffering while learning to accept our thoughts & feelings frees up our lives for meaning and purpose.
The Three Happiness Myths
Understand how chasing after specifically the ‘feeling of happiness’ might have led you into the ‘Happiness Trap’. Learn how valued living where we pursue meaning and purpose is more sustainable and can lead to more satisfaction and fulfillment than a rabid pursuit of a feeling.
The Sushi Train Metaphor: ACT Skill
This metaphor offers a great tool for unhooking from difficult or unhelpful thoughts. Learn how we are not fully in control of the thoughts or feelings our mind generates and how we can choose to step back and observe our internal experiences rather than getting caught up in them.
The Unwanted Party Guest Metaphor: ACT Skill
Learn how our fight against our unwanted thoughts & feelings only creates its own set of problems, such as taking away our time and attention from the things we love. Consider who your ‘unwanted party guests’ are and how accepting them actually ends up making them more bearable.
Passengers On A Bus Metaphor: ACT Skill
Through this metaphor we can remind ourselves that we are in the driver’s seat of our own lives and that we decide what direction we want our life to move in. While our thoughts and feelings might try to convince us to give up or restrict us, we can remind ourselves that they are just passengers.
The Five Mindfulness Myths
Learn about some of the common misconceptions about mindfulness. It is not simply meditation, not is it specifically a way to ‘be calm’. Mindfulness is a practice that can be used in many situations.
Radio Doom and Gloom Metaphor: ACT Skill
People’s minds tend to broadcast a lot of negativity, almost like a radio, and trying to intentionally ignore it is not the same as working on focusing on what matters.